The Lake Winnebago region had one story line this week – the weather. From snow to 65 degree days, from drought to floods, anglers were emptying their closets to find the right gear. Lake Winnebago is in transition, as the ice sheet continues to breakdown. The Ice shoves along the western shore are fascinating, and I suggest getting out to see these in the next few days. This body of water is not accessible for fishing. Lake Poygan and Lake Buttes des Mortes should essentially be ice free in the next day or so.
The main storyline revolves around the local rivers. The Lower Fox in Oshkosh, the Wolf River and the Upper Fox River in Green Bay, are hosting area fishermen with varying degrees of success.
The Wolf River has seen an earlier than expected walleye spawn. The marshes have been playing host to spawning walleyes, as water temps in the marsh have been exceeding 50 degrees. The main river held water temperatures in the mid to upper 40’s on Sunday. There will be additional groups of walleyes heading upstream to spawn, so the spawn in no way is complete just yet.
Surprising to me, were the number of post spawn walleyes, which have migrated to the south end of the Wolf River. The areas to the north (New London, Fremont, Red Banks etc.) were lightly populated with walleyes returning back to the lakes. Small walleyes were residing in the slack water areas and could be taken with a light jig and minnow, on a constant pumping method against the current. Post spawn females were found in limited numbers in the main current, especially near deep holes. The Sheboygan Walleye Club event held on Sunday had a winning weight around 11 pounds. Big fish was 7.18 pounds.
Report by region on the Wolf River (Sunday 4-13):
Fremont (Rock wall and city): was very slow.
Red Banks: was dead.
Devil’s Elbow: was holding some nice “eater sized” walleyes in the slack waters.
Gills Landing: The railroad bridge was holding walleyes in the main current, north of the tracks.
Rat River: Solid concentrations of post spawn females are in the general area.
New London: hit and miss. Still seeing pre spawn fish in this area.
The Fox River in Oshkosh was slow, along with the bridge at Winneconne (Wolf River). I fully expect these areas to heat up with in the next 3-8 days. The Winneconne Bridge was showing signs of life just prior to the storms on Saturday and Sunday. The Lake Poygan trolling bite will also start to fire with the next warm spell. Long range forecasts aren’t very promising for a warm period.
DNR officials have been tagging a lot of walleye on the Winnebago system. Typical days see about 1,500 walleyes tagged per day.
Moving to the Fox River in DePere. Most female walleyes are post spawn, but there are certainly plenty of pre-spawn fish possibilities. During the week, the spawning fish were close to the island by the dam. Due to higher water levels in 2014, these fish were best targeted from shore or by wading. The boats struggled to reach these fish.
Team My Fishing Partner took 5th in the Swamp Donkey Tournament on Saturday. The top five teams were fishing a one hundred yard stretch of shallow water (about 3 feet deep). The post spawn females were recuperation on the flats, and were attacking larger bait presentations such as a gulp minnow piggy backed with a live minnow.
The trolling bite is starting to pick up in the river, as we produced some quality fish over 25”. These fish were staged in 6-9 feet of water, and liked Salmo Hornets trolled slowly up river. Green colored baits were by far the best going. Walleye magic, fire tiger and Hollywood were the best colors.
The muskies have moved in also. Most of the jig and minnow catches were small to mid-sized fish in the 20-35 inch ranges. Recent rains will muddy the waters and increase the current on the river for the next several days. These fish are currently out of season.
The next week will offer some pre-spawn and massive post spawn opportunities on all area waters. A stabilization of weather patterns would be ideal, but not likely in Wisconsin in April. This week the Wolf River hosts the Fort Fremont Classic, one of the premier walleye events in the Midwest on Saturday.
Thanks for the support of the site. Don’t forget our Winnebago System master angler program. Be sure to check the size requirements, and submit your fish to us! [email protected] is our email for your reports or questions. Happy Easter everyone!
